Upton to discuss new 40B housing project

Friday

UPTON – An application for a new 40B apartment complex at 149 Main St. is in the hands of the Massachusetts Housing Department.

The 44-unit complex will be funded by developer, Snowflake LLC, and will have 25 percent, or 11 units, of affordable housing.

Town Manager Derek Brindisi said the building will have a mix of one-, two-, and three- bedroom apartments. Brindisi said that though 25 percent of the units will be priced as affordable in relation to the town’s housing market, all 44 units will count towards the town’s 40B requirement.

Municipalities in Massachusetts are required to reach 10 percent housing affordability. Upton currently sits at about 6 percent. The new complex, he said, will help that number greatly.

Brindisi said that the prime-property has sat vacant for the last few years, and now it’s time to reuse it.

“It’s a property that had a fire a few years back, and the fire caused so much damage they had to tear the building down,” he said. “So now we have this vacant piece of land that is sizable enough to develop an apartment building.”

Brindisi said that when it comes to 40B projects, town government doesn’t have much power.

“The town has limited input on a 40B project, because it’s a way for the state to try to get towns to provide more affordable housing.”

After getting comment from town officials and committees, the application was sent to the state.

Public hearings on the project at the zoning board have not yet been scheduled, but will be soon.

“We’re working very closely with the developer on this project.” he said. “These types of projects, when you’re able to work with the developer, what they call ‘friendly 40Bs’ in my opinion are a win-win.”Scott Calzolaio can be reached at scalzolaio@wickedlocal.com or 508-734-0389. Follow him on Twitter @ScottCaz